Paintball markers are popular for firing a spherical ball loaded with a marking dye designed to rupture and mark a target on contact. Typical markers have an appearance similar to a handgun or small rifle but are typically fired by compressed air rather than an explosive charge. Compressed air (or other compressed gases) is stored within the marker with the compressed air firing the paintball out of a firing chamber.
Rapid-fire operation of the paintball marker has recently become particularly desirable and has resulted in advances in paintball marker accessories including the force-feeding of paintballs into the markers to obtain ever-faster rates of fire.
Generally the main distinctions between paintball markers is the choices between the usage of one, an impact opening pin valve vs. a spool valve, also referred to as a dump valve and two, an open bolt vs. a closed bolt.
The distinction between the impact opening pin valve vs. spool valve markers is that the former uses an impact opening pin valve for momentary escapement of a continuous supply of air while, the latter spool valve, stores air in a separate chamber and dumps a predetermined amount of air.
With respect to the open bolt vs. closed bolt terminology it should be noted that a majority of markers employ the combination of a bolt and an impact opening pin valve, it is noteworthy that the more correct term would be “open chamber” vs. “closed chamber”. Hence, the distinction between the open and closed refers to whether or not the chamber is indeed open to the supply of paintballs when the marker is in the rest position.
The desired effects of those making choices in engineering, are listed as guidelines to design:
One desired effect is speed. Semi-automatic markers should cycle as quickly as possible. A benchmark would be firing in excess of 20 balls per second for highest priced markers. Entry-level markers have a benchmark in the 8 to 10 balls per second range. This can be improved to 12 to 14 balls per second with the use of an optional electronically controlled trigger mechanism. A separate stock class or pump marker is available that operate at slower speeds that is generally used exclusively from semiautomatic markers. Note: stated speed is measures in bursts over a chronograph. Measurement being taken as a maximum of several balls in less than a whole second, not as a full second or more than one second.
Another desired effect is air efficiency. Good seals and an impact opening pin valve being sufficient. Spool or dump valves being less efficient but acceptable.
A further desired effect is accuracy. The paintball's delivery into the barrel by the bolt, being the most contested factor in accuracy. Engineering choices include: open bolt or closed bolt; method of detaining the ball in place; speed and pressure of bolt transitioning ball into barrel and its effect on ball with subsequent ball deflection. Additionally, turbulence in the firing chamber should be kept to a minimum. An increase in turbulence has been acknowledged to cause a decrease in flight accuracy.
Another further desired effect is ease of cleaning in the event of ball rupture in the marker housing. Removing the bolt and cleaning the marker with a swab from back to front usually accomplish cleaning.
Desirable features sometime conflict, such as, lightweight vs. rugged and a smaller size vs. accuracy. Additionally, there are liabilities to design inherent in the dump valve or spool valve markers listed above such as:
One, its difficulty in cleaning in the event of a broken paintball in the marker housing. It is nearly a universal practice for dump valve type markers to locate compressed gas, stored for use in firing the next paintball, in the area behind and directly in line with the firing chamber. Therefore dump valve markers can only be cleaned from the front.
Two, its lower gas efficiency. This is sometimes overcome by use of higher pressure air to fire the ball. While it is arguable in the engineering community if said higher pressure is undesirable, it is generally considered within the playing community to be highly desirable to have low firing pressure.
Three, its high impact speed of chambering object caused to transition paintball into the barrel. The object is powered by a piston itself powered by the air that has been released to fire the paintball.
It is deemed, by those selecting the dump valve markers as their choice in engineering, that the inherent liabilities to design are overcome by the combination of entry-level price and increased speed possible with the dump valve type markers.
Similarly, there are liabilities to design inherent to boltless markers:
One: Paintball should be transitioned into the barrel before the impact of the air used to propel out of the barrel. Transitioning paintball with air used to propel paintball results in increased paintball breakage, increased turbulence and decreased air efficiency.
Two: Method of sealing the firing chamber. Chamber should be sealed as completely as possible as loss of seal decreases air efficiency.
Three: Impact of door, or other sealing mechanism, on the paintball to be loaded next. The bolts being substantially the same size as the paintballs the bolts makes negligible contact with the paintball. However with the use of a door sealing over the paintballs, the entire width of the door impacts paintball and occupies the space previously taken by the paintball.
Four: Possible lower speed of operation than found elsewhere in the art.
Five: Increased turbulence of compressed gas acting upon paintball. Increased turbulence sometimes caused by air travel through the dissimilar shape of firing chamber when compared to cylindrical barrel.
Background of Boltless Markers: Some examples of open chamber dump valve type markers which have had some commercial success include those manufactured by Air Star and sold under the name NOVA and the name SUPER NOVA. Although a second-generation marker, manufactured by War Machine Incorporated and sold under the name WAR MACHINE ASSAULT 80 has replaced them. These markers employ a barrel that retracts rearward and over paintball, sealing firing camber. This retracting barrel transitions ball into the barrel before air impacted paintball. These markers provide good sealing and loading but, have inherent liabilities a slower speed of operation than is possible in the art and a decrease in air efficiency.
Some further attempts at a commercial application of a boltless rotary seal include markers sold under the respective names the PHOENIX and the PHANTOM REVOLUTION. The PHANTOM REVOLUTION is manufactured by Component Concepts Incorporated. These two markers are closed chamber markers. Both sealed the firing chamber by the use of a revolving seal, the usage being common in firearms, specifically in pistols. Rotating on an axis, parallel to firing chamber and barrel, separated chambers intersect and align with firing chamber, momentarily sealing said rotating chamber and said firing chamber as one unit. Limitation of these markers include: Paintball not being transitioned into barrel, lower speed of operation and less gas efficient.
A further example of a boltless design is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 6,520,171 issued on Feb. 18, 2003 to Reibel and is embodied in a marker being manufactured by Insight Component Engineering under the name EPIC as there current attempt at commercial success using a boltless design. This marker chooses a dump valve and a closed firing chamber. As noted, a nearly universal feature of dump valve markers, a storage chamber is located behind and inline with the firing chamber. In contrast, the Insight Component Engineering marker sold under the name EPIC uses the energy of compressed gas within a chamber to power a piston coupled to a door. In essence when storage chamber is empty a spring acts upon the door opening it and allowing a paintball into the firing chamber. When the compressed air storage is charged, the rest position, the compressed air pushes the piston forward, piston itself being slideably supported with a cylindrical bore. Piston's forward movement causing forward movement of the door coupled thereto for sliding over paintball and seal firing chamber.
Additionally one very commercially successful marker is manufactured by Dye Precision Incorporated and sold under the name MATRIX. This marker evolved from a boltless marker, into a morphed spindle/bolt design. Specifically, a prototype of the very commercially successful MATRIX previously used a door that lifted up and down. The MATRIX prototype used a dump valve and an open chamber. MATRIX sealed firing chamber somewhat similar to the PHOENIX and the REVOLUTION, except instead of rotating into position with a ball, the MATRIX prototype rotated a door open and closed for each cycling. Inherent limitations including: air used to propel paintball was used to transition paintball, lower speed of operation, loss of air efficiency and most notably the impact of door on the paintball next to be loaded. The unique principle of the MATRIX is the use of a larger spindle to direct air first into a storage chamber and then into the firing chamber, the spindle itself shuttling back and forth in said chamber between the firing chamber and compressed gas storage area. Said limiting factors lead MATRIX to abandon use of a door, instead using a protrusion of the air-directing spindle. The extension of the spindle itself performing the function of, and having the appearance of, an otherwise free floating bolt.
The use of a seal sliding over the ball, omitting a bolt to transition the paintball into the barrel, is an inexplicable one in the marker manufactured by Insight Component Engineering and sold under the name EPIC. The marker arguably closet to this marker is a very commercially successful marker manufactured by Air Gun Design and sold under the name AUTOMAG. Both of these markers are dump valve markers that use the compressed gas stored behind the firing chamber to act upon a piston, causing the sealing of the firing chamber. The marker manufactured by Air Gun Design and sold under the name AUTOMAG has an open chamber choosing to have the stored compressed gas act on their piston during the firing cycle, while the marker manufactured by Insight Component Engineering and sold under the name EPIC is closed chamber choosing instead to have the air act on the piston while stored.
More specifically, initiation of firing sequence in the marker manufactured by Air Gun Design and sold under the name AUTOMAG causes air escapement from said storage chamber. The air acts on ram moving it forward. Ram being located between the stored air and said firing chamber in a cylindrical bore. The ram additionally having a protrusion extending from it. The extension of the ram itself performing the function of, and having the appearance of, an otherwise free floating bolt (note similarity to the marker manufactured by Dye Precision Incorporated and sold under the name MATRIX which was introduced years after the marker manufactured by Air Gun Design and sold under the name AUTOMAG). The marker manufactured by Insight Component Engineering and sold under the name EPIC chooses to have the air act on the piston initially, and an extension of their piston, a rod and a door mated to the rod, then acts as independently from the paintball as possible. Chamber sealed when door slides over the paintball.
The marker manufactured by Insight Component Engineering and sold under the name EPIC has engineering choices leading to the inherent limitations of: transitioning the paintball into barrel by the use of the air that used to propel the paintball out of the barrel, lower speed of operation than possible elsewhere in the art, decreased air efficiencies (due to reduced sealing efficiencies), increased turbulence of compressed gas acting upon paintball caused by air travel through dissimilar shape of firing chamber when compared to cylindrical barrel and impact of door on the paintball next to be loaded. Acceptance of said limitations is difficult to understand when AUTOMAG and MATRIX employ the use of a protrusion from piston that performs the function of a bolt in similar circumstances.
While advancements have been made in the art to achieve rapid-fire operation, problems with such rapid-fire paintball markers persist. These problems include excessive length of the paintball marker, excessive pressure on paintball while transitioning into barrel, excessive turbulence in firing chamber, excessive jamming of the mechanisms that load the paintball into the firing chamber and difficulty of required cleaning inside marker housing after paintball rupture. Also excessive complexity of prior markers leads to excessive cost and more difficult maintenance.
Accordingly, a need exists for a rapid-fire paintball marker with a loading and firing apparatus which addresses these deficiencies in the prior art.